Can opener



D. FARANDATOS April 7, 1953 CAN OPENER '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 21, 1950 INVENTOR- l 1 l' 19% Jdfld/ildaiw BY g 6 I ATTORNEY.

April 7, 1953 D. FARANDATOS CAN OPENER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 21 1950 5 INVENTOR.

BY 2 W ATTORNEY.

Z TILE D. FARANDATOS April 7, 1953 CAN OPENER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 21, 1950 INVENTOR. 49m Ja/zamdajw 5.5. By T? Patented Apr. 7, 1953 UNITED S TATES (JEF-[315.1-v

CAN OPENER:

Denis Farandatos, New --York;-N; Y.

ApplicationNovem-ber 21, 1950, Serial-No. leases;

6 Claims. ,1:

This; invention; relates -to a can; opener.

The, problems relatingio canopeners arise, not onlyimthehqme ibutmarticularlyinrestaurants, where-hundreds of; cans containing different foods mayvbezopened in: sequence :by; a single opener. suchl-iang-operation involves questions of cleanliness and: contamination, Contamination occurs when-an openenw-hich, has just been usedto open agcangof :one.:kind -of gfood;-for instance beans, is subsequently used without cleansing to open another;-kin,d; forinstance berries. Some residue from :the iii-rst :can is; transferred to the second by the knife: This problem of contamination has aagraver-side becausethe-knives of can openers, in cutting the metal of the can, sever tiny particles gofcmetal which fall into the contents of the can, andizthis-contamination increases as the knife grows oldergand duller; Suchparticles of metal are injurious, and have been recognizedfias such by dietary; authorities. The degree of such contamination--by--metal particles is of sufiicient magnitude :to constitute a real problem.

The :question of cleanliness is much inevidence in restaurant practice, as can tops are not clean, andsas the: severed tops 10f cans fall into the contents of-the canand slowlysubmerge. The usual method of extracting the top is to'push one. side on the top rdo'wnwardwith a finger so as to raise: the :oppostie side: above the food level, grasping the raised:edge of, the can before it subinerges; The; fingers" of .the operator; thus enterrthe food of successivecans.

Thereis, in, good restaurants, arule that the opener :shall becleaned'between uses,-or between difierent uses, but cleaning or. prior openers is time consuzningand in: the absence of a reminder the rule is-honored in the .:breach" rather than the observance. The openers must usually be washed asra whole, which cannot be done well except by mechanical 'washers.

It' is' an object of this invention to make a can opener which will prevent the contamination of the food in cans by severed particles of metal, which'will prevent severedcan tops from falling into thefood; which willmakeit unnecessary for the operator to .fish forther-can top in the food with his fingersand which will physically remind the operatorito iwash' the knife.-

Many can-openersare so-zconstructed that; the

entire opener; must :be washed inorder to wash;

the-blade.-

It is-anobj ectzcfthis inventionto :make :acan opener having:-'a.: removablesbladelwhichacanybe remored from: the :remain'den of ithesmechanism tor-"independent cleaning Anotherrobiect oiltheginvention is;topresen an; electroma netic... can onenerr he annotl be operatedauntilgthe v,c 1r, 3en t is turnedg pmwhich hasra. m netizedeandxemovable bladerandilan electricaleniechanicaliinterlock;

The objects. of. rthejnventihnmalie accomplished, generally sp eakinshby vthe conceptions hereindescribed,v,a. preferred reduction, topractice of .Which is {illustrated ,in. .the drawinghwherein; v

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional.yiewthm Hhlslich acan: opener .in. the processrof opening a can;

Fig..2is anrelevationalrview of the opflnertakje from. the left side: of, Fig, 71;,

Fig. 3 issa plan. view of the can opener with the raised handleinrsectioni.

5 is ,-a.,section on .the line 5j5 of Fi -$1 with. ,the head. locked .tos he. base;

Fig. 7 is aiperspective View ofthe main head casting Ref erringrnow to -the inumerals of the drawing, I {l is a vtable top,- orv thelike to which is rafii-Xed as by screws 1 l a.,baseplateIJ2vwhichisrof hollow construction and .raised above the-V .tableiby; side and. endrfianges .l 3.,. A plate .I 4 ,extendsrbetween the side. flanges at ;.the tablet level v at .therfront of the opener 7 (Figs. 7 1 and ,5) V Projecting ,dow-nwardly from the plate [4 .are: cylindrical ,bosses I5; extending. upwardly from. plate I 2 ;L .in line with bosses l5 are cylindrical bosses.l6.,. The aligned bosses l 5,; I 6 :constitute bearings, for.- wartically movable standards J'l which .supDOrt the upperspart -0r;head.,of the can opener...

- n -Heretof0r,e, s0me difiiculty has, ,been .experienced-einasecuring; proper alignment of: -the. knife and; the I can ed e; and' in securing the truesrotation: eta-can during cutting. Particular difficulty has ariseninhandlingcans of difierent size-some of which may be very large-and heavy and must be v-supp ortedgon-"an :adequate "bases-i This =-inventionincludes a anew-conception:- for solving; thisspitoblemi; According to the ;invention; therei-areemounted *beneath the -,t0p oi-the ;base-; I 2 axles; I 8;.whi'oh1arereceived between lugs l 9; 20- andsheld: in ;=posi=tion by :wedges -.;2 l rscrew mounted inywg 2B; thciofiset ends oiksuch wedges forcing theendsiof the aXIes-JB firmlyainto their seatsbetWeen-1the lugs zby -leveraction-(Rig d) Mounted nrjthesesaxlesrl B {are rollersezz {which extend-upward;through1s1otsg23 -ingtheibase plate 'v Q-that any: can whicherestsiupon theerollers isr unpmtediouhofecontactwith the: baseg =plate.

. These-11ers areiradially arrangedrwitherespectato was wheel-24 .whichis irm untediiupgn 1anea-x1es2 seated in an apertured boss 26 extending downward from the base plate 42. The wheel 24 is provided with a cylindrical ledge 21 which supports the edge of the can beneath the cutting blade of the can opener, and with an upstanding flange 28 which correctly positions the can for the action of the knife. When thus supported upon the wheel and the radial rollers, cans of any size can be opened with the utmost efficiency, rotating readily upon the rollers and wheel.

Means are provided for locking the head to the base and a part of that mechanism is mounted in the base. A latch 29 of reeling L-shape is supported upon the bottom plate M by a roller 30 which is mounted on the latch; The latch is drawn into locking position bya spring 34 which is attached to a boss 32 depending from the base plate I2. Slotted bell crank lever 32' is pivotally mounted upon a lug 33*attached to a strap 34 which is mounted at its'ends on the plate B2. A 'lug 35 depends from a plate armature 36 which is'received in a recess at the forward end of plate 'l2 and which can be drawn upwardly by the attraction of an electromagnet located in the head. When this plate armature is thus attracted it is moved upwardly, pivoting the bell crank lever 32 around its pivot on lug 33, overcoming the force of spring 3| and moving the latch 29 out of locking position. It will be apparent from this description that when the head is locked to the .base by latch 29, the head cannot be lifted into operating position until the electromagnet has been energized. This prevents the operator from using the can opener without energizing the mag- .netic portions of the can opener.

The head and cutting parts of the opener are supported on the upper ends of standards H.

The head comprises a metal cover and support 40 rigidly carried on the upper ends of standards H, which are received in hollow bosses 4| which project downwardly from the cover 413. The upper endsof the standards are screw threaded into the bosses and held in set position by nuts 42. Supported by the head are bearings 43, 4 2' v.

and the main casting 45, which constitute the backbone of the head, and support the main shaft 46 in a position fixed vertically with respect to the head. A knurled collar 4! is fixed to the lower end of rotatable shaft 46 by a pin 4'! to grip the edge of the can and rotate it against the edge of the knife.

The upper end of this shaft carries a head 48 to which is pivoted a handle 49 having a fork 5!.) which embraces the head and is provided with cam surfaces 5| (Fig. 1) which engage a sleeve 52 which is vertically slidable along shaft to engage a washer 53 which is in engagement with the upper surface of the ends of a fork 54, the

' lower surfaces of which engage a washer 55 which is under the thrust of a spring 56 which bears upon the bearing 43. When the handle is in the raised position of Fig. 1, the sleeve 52 is depressed by cam 5i and spring 56 is compressed. The downward motion of sleeve 52 acts upon the yoke 54 and tilts the entire blademechanism about a horizontal pivot 51 which is mounted at its ends in the main casting. The main casting has lugs 58, 5B which depend and carry the shaft 51. Mounted upon this shaft is a casting 8B which is provided with upstanding perforating lugs 51, 62 the perforations of which receive the forked bolt 63 which is thrust by sprin 64 toward the right 'of Fig. land through apertures 65 in the upper fpart'of knife 66 and corresponding apertures in the guide 10. Bolt 53 is provided with an upstanding finger grip 61 which permits it to be drawn back, releasing the knife, which can be withdrawn by means of a finger grip 68. The casting 66 extends downward alongside the knife and a U-shaped guide It is attached by screws H to the sides of the downwardly extending part, the guide being spaced from the face of the casting just enough to receive the knife blade. The arms or yoke 54 constitute a part of the casting 6d so that it will be apparent that when the handle 139 is raised to the position of Fig. 1, depressing sleeve 52, the casting EB, and all the parts carried by it, are pivoted around shaft 57 in such a direction that the knife 56 moves away from the knurled collar ll, thus providing adequate room for the reception of the rim of a can.

A can having been placed upon the base as shown in Fig. 1, the head is struck downward, the handle 49 being still in the raised position, and the point of knife 66 pierces the top 12 of the can adjacent the wall. The lever 49 is now lowered to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 5 and the spring 55 exerts upward pressure against arms 5d of casting as tending to pivot the frame 50 about shaft 5? and forcing the blade Giitoward the wall of the can as the collar 47 is rotated by shaft 46 and handle 49, thus producing a cut adjacent the very wall of the container and tending to smooth the severed material against the wall.

Small particles of metal adulterate the contents of the can, when prior art openers are used, but means have been provided to overcome that objection, because the blade of the knife is ma netized.

A cord to is provided witha plug for attachment to the usual outlet of an electric light circuit, connecting at 81 with a switch 82 having an on-off lever 83, and through the switch at 84 and connection 85 to one side 86 of a solenoid 81. The current leaves the solenoid through line 88 which is part of the cord. A brass plate 89 is attached to casting 60 and supports one end of solenoid 81, the other end of which issupported by the depending leg of casting 50. One pole of the solenoid is extended by means of a plate 9| of magnetizable metal, the end of which is in a plane with the lower end of casting 60. A copper band. 92 is placed around the end of pole 9|, constituting it a shaded pole. The lower end of casting as is quartered and one quarter 93 is wrapped in a copper band 86 thus constituting it a shaded pole.

These poles engage, or approach the top of the can in the cutting position of the knife so that the lifting of the head removes the top of the can after severing is complete. The steel knife, which is of magnetizable metal, is engaged with the vertical leg of casting 50 which in turn supports the pole 55. Thus, the knife is itself magnetized and it catches and retains the small particles of metal which are separated by the knife and would otherwise fall into the food.

A magnetic bridge 96, which is pivot-ally attached to the lower end of casting 69, drops into place upon the end of pole 9! and serves to prevent fiux losses when the opener is not in use. A depending bumper 9'! raises the magnetic bridge out of the way when the next can is opened.

The head carries a horizontally arranged, spring pressed bolt 98 having a cam face adapted to engage the cam face 29' of latch 29, retracting the bolt and allowing the locking faces of latch and bolt to engage. At the same time, a vertically slidable locking lever I00 enters the opening llll in base i2 and passes behind latch 29 so that sesame 5 it? cannOt'be-"diksengagEd'r without Iiftlng.tlfe'slock The.lock.. I vertically," slidablymounted' iffia slottdextensiorr I02Iofthe main casting of the head. Thislocksis releasedwhenithe bolt 63 is drawn out topermit"tlie"cleansing of the knife 6% Hytlie fdllwingemeehanism;. v

Mounted on the end of the-.shaftrflilsiailever I03 the endsof".whichengagessbeneath the bent end of-lock I00 as shown inFig. 1. A shorter arm- I01 extends upwardiand't' carries a pin I05 which.projectsinwardandenters'a notch I06 in theI-undersideofthe'shankiof forked bolt'=63f It will beiobservedinfig. 4--thatthe bolt Ii-3ewhich holds: the knife" in position a forked" end whicltsupports'. bothisid'eswfithe knife: andia sl'fank to' which" the-finger grip" 61 is attached. When the finger grip is pulled out, to release the knife, the long end of the lever I03 lifts up the lock I00, which enables the latch 29 to be released, but this release Will not occur unless the electromagnetic circuit is in operation. There may be a loose fit between the latch 29 and its cooperating bolt so that the upward motion of the head will release the latch 29 by moving the plate armature 36, which is attracted by the poles 9| 93 just as the can top is attracted in a different position of the head, or the spacing of poles and armature, in lowered position of the head, may accomplish the same result.

The can opener operates as follows: The operator finds the head locked to the base, and in order to free it, turns on the switch 83, energizing the solenoid 87, but discovers that he still cannot free the head from the base. He, therefore, recalls that he must release the knife 68 and wash it. He releases the knife by finger grip 61, removes it, inspects it for cleanliness, cleans it if need be, and returns it to its guide. Then he pulls the finger grip 61 which operates the lever I03, releases the lock and enables him to raise the head. In raising the head, the poles of the electromagnet lift the plate armature 36, which operates through crank 32 to move the latch 29 to unlocking position. In that position the lock I00 is prevented from passing downward behind the latch 29. In raising the head the handle automatically lifts to vertical position, depressing the sleeve 52 and tilting the mechanism within the head around pivot 51, providing ample room between knurled collar 4'! and the blade of the knife for the reception of a can rim. A can is placed on the radial rollers 22 and the positioning wheel 24, abutting the flange 28, and the knife is driven through the can cover by a sharp downward motion of the head. The handle is brought to horizontal position and cutting of the can top begins by turning the handle. Firm pressure is maintained on the rim between the blade and the knurled collar by the pressure of spring 56, which tilts the mechanism toward gripping position about shaft 51. When the cutting is finished the head is lifted, taking with it the can cover, the can is set aside, the cover is thrown away, the head is returned to locking position, the knife is removed and cleaned and the process is repeated.

The can opener can be used to open a plurality of cans by holding the head in elevated position, and it is desirable that this should be possible, as it does no harm to open several cans of one kind of food without cleaning the knife, as the minute particles gather on the blade until they are manually removed therefrom. However, the head is always returned to the base after the opening of a few cans, for one reason ,or another,

The entire head is so constructed zthatl'itizcan be -wa'sliew in' tne usual-.ispray washingrmechanism; Thesolenoid is encased riniheatIhardening plastic ofwat'er#proof characteristicsanwsimilar treatment =is extendedito thekwiring;

Among the maj or 'advantages iofi.ithefiinvention are -tliebmagnetizin'g 101:2 the: knifestne extraction of the severed 'can' top andthe:exclusionrof'ifim gersfrom: the fo'oda Theii magnetizing: of the knife 1 prevents the: contamihationflofi food with the small metal pattstorn from: .the. metal. of the'ca'n.- The can cover, being-"partzormhe outside of "the= can, is seldomxcle'anjiusually dirty from accumulated dust and' handling f' andithe attrac ition offithatzcoverz'by thersolenoi-d: polesiprevents that exterior dirt from getting into the food. The food is uncontaminated by fingers, because no reason exists to compel the operator to thrust his fingers into the food to recover the can top.

Frequent injuries result in ordinary restaurant practice because the hands of operators are cut by the sharp metal of the severed can or top. Such injuries are prevented by this apparatus because there is less occasion for the operator to put his hands near the severed edges. An improvement in cleanliness is also obtained because the knife is made independently removable and can be cleaned as frequently as desired. Heretofore, it was frequently impossible to clean the knife except as a part of the whole can opener, which could only be done satisfactorily by a spray washer which put the opener out of service for so long a period of time that the operator would not ordinarily clean it during the course of the working day.

The electrical mechanism is encased and sealed in waterproof plastic so that the entire head can be washed.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those who are engaged in the preparation of canned foods.

The invention is particularly useful to government agencies, some of which open cans in enormous quantity,

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope thereon, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments.

What is claimed is:

1. A can opener having a head, guide means supported by said head, a knife slidable in said uide means, and means to lock the knife in the guide means comprising a spring pressed plunger.

2. A can opener comprising a thrusting blade, guide means supporting said blade, a spring pressed bolt passing through blade and guide means and means to retract the bolt to free the blade for removal from the guide.

3. A can opener comprising a blade guide, a blade slidably received in said guideand having exposed gripping means, and bolt means pene-' trating said guide and blade and having exposed gripping means for withdrawing the bolt to release the blade.

al. A can opener comprising a base including a can support, a standard associated with said base, a cutting head associated with said standthe base and cooperating parts associated with the head functioning to lock the base to the head when head and base are brought into proximity, said lock means having a manually operable release means.

5. A can opener having a frame, can cutting means associable with said frame, support means associated with said frame adapted to receive said can cutting means, and lock means associated with the support means and the cutting means to hold the cutting means in operative position in association with the frame.

6. A can opener having a frame, can cutting means associable with said frame, support means associated with said frame adapted to receive said can cutting means, and lock means associated with the support means and the cutting means to hold the cutting means in operative position in association with the frame, said lock means comprising a manually operable release for said cutting means.

' DENIS FARANDATOS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 198,959 Williams Jan.'8, 1878 1,008,932 Walther Nov. 14, 1911 1,713,823 Edlund May 21, 1929 1,815,910 Hart .a July 28, 1931 1,977,903 Wolforsdorf Oct. 23, 1934 2,169,497 McRoberts Aug. 15, 1939 

